Uniform Justice

One imagines the writer Donna Leon to be like Paola, the Venetian Comisario's wife in "Uniform justice": An aristocratic communist,Italian style. There are No other books that I know of where you have very well crafted mysteries, set in the Venice of Venetians. This is not the honeymoon Venice of singing gondoliers.Leons novels are unflinching in their reality, revealing the corruption and class distinctions in a foggy,damp town over-run with tourists.The graciously human qualities of her detective and the ideosyncratic cast of characters are unique. The bonds of family and community are sesitively drawn and touching. Lovers of Venice will eat up every snippet of Venice itself,the walkways on a quiet winters night,a description of a very Venetian luncheon.In all these mysteries, you are given all the clues. There is no person who comes in the last scene,or some information not revealed.Despite that, I did not guess the riddle in this installment until the very end, or in any of the other mysteries.Very satisfying. .

A mystery equal to if not better than Simenon's Inspector Maigret series, UNIFORM JUSTICE lives up to the author's well deserved reputation. Set in modern Venice, it is replete with translatable Italian (telefonino, Carabinieri, Signora, si), well rounded characters and a plot that moves, though a little slowly, with riveting intricacy. Commissario Brunetti becomes involved with a young cadet's suicide and he finds himself up against a military obstinacy equal to Jack Nicholson's character in A FEW GOOD MEN. This mystery brings the reader into the Italian home, takes you to lunch (yum!) and lets you suffer the frustrations of a modern police officer in a very political world. I couldn't put it down.

Donna Leon's twelfth Commissario Guido Brunetti novel does not begin with a bang; instead, it begins with an apparent suicide, a hanging. For all intents and purposes, the death of a young cadet at an exclusive Venetian militaryschool certainly must be a suicide. However, with the intellect, cunning, skill, and savvy of Leon andBrunetti, what begins with a "simple" death soon works its way into an ugly, complicated, andfrightening murder in Leon's latest "Uniform Justice." The young teenager is the son of a prominent doctor and politician, termed "honest" by anystandard. The father's honesty serves as a fault, however, and soon causes him to resign fromparliament, particularly following his investigation of corruption in military procurement. The"web of deceit" in such cases seems to spread just about everywhere. His "anti-military" stancedoes not go over well, especially at his son's military school. Thus begins a series of cover-ups, lies,and deception--the ranks of the involved quickly close. Not for the first time does Brunetti face the"old school" of Venice. His task is formidable, but with the help of his wife Paola, his secretarySignorina Elettra, and a few members of the department, Brunetti methodically and brilliantlybrings the case to its conclusion. Leon, for all the love she bears for Venice, where she's lived for anumber of years, continues to champion the cause of the just, the honest, the uncorrupt, theinnocent, all descriptives of just about any place but Venice. Still, politics and social injusticesaside, Leon continues to hold firmly her legion of fans with her inimitable style, plot designs, superbcharacterizations, and general "good literature." "Uniform Justice" is not easily laid aside until itis finished. One of Leon's strong suits is that she does not pretend that, when the final pages are read,the world is then tied up nicely in a pretty bow and everything is okay. Romanticism in literature isnot Donna Leon; realism is alive and well and these themes permeate her twelve Brunetti novels.Perhaps this is another reason she is so popular. ([email protected])

Donna Leon's latest Commissario Brunetti case is one of her best!From the opening pages, which quickly sets the tone, "Uniform Justice" is fast-paced,extremely exciting, and quite gripping. It is difficult to find an author today who is better!A young cadet at an exclusive Venetian military prep school has been found hanged in hisdormitory. The school quickly has it proclaimed a suicide, but Brunetti knows otherwise. He and his team of loyal members of Venice's police department quickly begintheir investigation--an investigation that, once more, leads us into the power structures of"the Pearl of the Adriatic." Leon is never slow to touch up socially significant issues and she plows into this one atgale force. "Corruption in Things Italian" seems to be her middle name and she pulls nopunches. One would imagine that the Italian military and even some of its other "sacred"institutions will not view this book (nor her others!) in pleased frames of mind. Still, Leonis one of the most popular American novelists read abroad today (in fact, even her recenthard-bound copies are NOT published in the US for some really strange reason!).Again,"Uniform Justice" is Leon at her best and Brunetti doing what he does best--solvingmurders. An excellent read!

Donna Leon is a first-rate mystery writer. Fans of the canned mystery novel, where nothing but the villains' names change need not apply. Commissario Brunetti is a fully realized protagonist -- full of idiosyncracies, strengths, weaknesses, etc. Her vivid depictions of supporting characters is also a refreshing development in a genre full of hacks.Most of all, her Venice is enthralling -- beautiful, mysterious, but also flawed and corrupt at the same time. Uniform Justice is a real treat -- really looking forward to getting into this series!